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Habitat Affiliate Celebrates Milestone, First Volunteer Shares Lessons Learned
By
Alex Statham
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| Clive Rainey, Habitat's "First Volunteer" speaks to Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver staff and supporters on Wednesday. Photo by Alex Statham |
When Clive Rainey first got involved with Habitat for
Humanity International in 1977, he figured he would only serve as a temporary
volunteer. 33 years later, he has contributed thousands of hours of manual labor,
held directory roles both in the United States and overseas, and is globally
known as Habitat’s first volunteer. On Wednesday, he shared some of those
experiences at Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver’s (HFHMD) 500th
Home Celebration.
“I can’t help myself, I want to promote what [Habitat for
Humanity of Metro Denver] is doing, and tell the world what [they] are doing
and keep people excited about this because we still have a long way to go,”
Rainey said.
Since it was founded in 1979, Habitat for Humanity of Metro
Denver has housed nearly 2,00 individuals in the state of Colorado, and will
soon finish construction on their 500th home in the Denver metro
area. Rainey said that, in addition to providing a safe, affordable place to
live, each home built created new opportunities for the family that would live
there, “When you believe in someone, it’s like you put them on your shoulders.
Suddenly they can see farther than they ever could before, and can achieve
goals they never thought possible.”
Stephanie Booth, a single-mom with three children, will move
into the 500th home at the end of next month. The small basement
room she shares with her three kids is cramped, and often times sewage from the
upstairs complex floods their space. For her, this home will represent a new
start, “I wanted to show my kids that I would always be there for them, and we
cannot wait to start our new life and leave the past behind us.”
The 500th home celebration kicks off HFHMD’s
ambitious 5-year plan to build another 500 homes by 2017. In addition to
constructing homes from the ground up, the Denver affiliate will also renovate
apartments and homes that become available in the local housing market, and
provide emergency repairs to surrounding neighborhoods.
“It’s an ambitious goal, but with the combined efforts of
our volunteers, partners, donors and community members I know we can get there,”
Heather Lafferty, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver,
said.
Graphic by Alex Statham
You'll find the full event video below:
Video by Alex Statham and Habitat Staff
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